Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

A thriller is a genre of novel, play or movie with an exciting plot, which typically involves death of a character, and an element of investigation into the death. The plot usually takes the characters on a journey, which is usually based in cities towns.

 
There are many different thriller subgenres, including the following:

Our thriller is based on the psychological and action sub-genres. Before starting our thriller, we had carried out lots of research, looking at many different thriller movies, and as a group, we thought that a thriller in this style would be the best. We liked the idea of having a psychological thriller, as it allows a more complex plot to unwind throughout the film. We asked 10 people for their views on the thriller genre, aged between 11-25, by giving them a questionnaire, which asked them about genre, and which sub-genre of thriller they preferred. From the market research we carried out, we could see that people enjoy watching a film with a more complex plot, where it takes a while to work out what is happening. Also, action is something that is found in a lot of the films we watched, so we thought it best to include an element of this within our production.

 

With this genre we have chosen, the audience expect things to be slightly abnormal. We needed to come away from stereotypes – the typical ‘good guy, bad guy’ approach is something that we needed to avoid, as the audience would expect something slightly more advanced. From all of the thrillers that we have watched, the narrative has never been based around the relationship between two cousins, which is why we chose to explore this option. We used narration to try and give the audience an insight into the plot, which is something that is usually done in a psychological thriller.

 

In thriller films, a variety of shot types are used. Often, close-up shots are used, which is something that we were keen to do. Also, shots are also edited together quickly, which shows the pace of the action, which again, is something that we wanted to try and portray, and a technique that we used in our thriller. Films of this genre are usually set in public places, such as towns and cities, to show how the action intercepts normal life. An example of this is the film Bourne Identity, shown above, where actor Matt Damon can be seen walking through a city setting. However, we wanted to challenge this convention, and so we set it at a rural looking train station. This gave the film an element of mystery, and made the audience wonder how the plot would develop. The protagonist in a thriller is usually male, and our protagonist was a male. Also, the use of a female as the victim epitomises the vulnerability of the subject. 

 

We used many props in our production, to make the film seem more realistic. We used some flowers for the mourner to lay on the grave, as this allowed us to portray what the actor was doing, without having to make it clear in the voiceover. We also used a rope for the killer to tie the victim to the train line with, along with a balaclava, to disguise his face both from the camera, and from the victim. Furthermore, train planks were used to allow us to write the titles/credits of the film onto the train. The planks gave an authentic feel, and allowed us to move away from simply using titles on the editing package – something that is done in a lot of thrillers, and by breaking away from this convention, it would add the element of surprise to the audience.

For our thriller opening, we used a track called ‘Gloom Horizon’, available from royalty free music website www.incompetech.com. This was a track that mainly consisted of strings, with a strong beat underneath the track, and an electric synthesizer effect was also added. From all of the films we have watched, such as The Butterfly Effect, the music for the opening section was quite a strong, punchy track, which was there to steal the audience’s attention, and the pace of the music strongly reflected the pace of the on-screen action. Therefore, we felt that this track would be entirely appropriate for our thriller opening.

It took us quite a long while to come up with the narrative for our production, as we were keen to try something that had not been done before, and so that the audience would be keen to watch it. Our final idea involved a girl being killed by her cousin, because as children, she was always treated better than him, which means he felt jealous. We wanted to try and portray this in a very subtle way, which is why we used an adapted extract from the poem ‘Cousin Kate’, to try and get this across. I feel that this technique worked very well, as it made sure that the audience were only given a glimpse as to how the narrative would develop. Throughout the production of our film, we worked hard to bear in mind that this is only the opening two minutes of the film, and wanted to ensure that the whole plot was not given away in this short time period.

 

From the research that we had carried out, we learnt that there are many conventions used to make the opening of the thriller effective. One of the key elements of the opening, in my opinion, is that it does not give too much detail away too soon within the film. For example, the shot above is taken from the opening of Se7en, which often features close up shots of objects, which makes the audience wonder what it is actually showing. This ensures that the audience want to keep watching the film, to see how it will develop.

 

The use of flashbacks in film openings is also a technique that we liked, and were interested to explore. We had seen this technique used before, in the opening of The Butterfly Effect, where the main protagonist could be seen being chased around an office, and being hunted down. At the time, it was unclear why this was happening, but as the film developed, this became more obvious. We used a flash-forward in our production, as the opening we have produced is actually set around 20 years in advance of the rest of the film. If the film had continued, we would be taken back to the time when the victim and killer were only very young, to show how she was treated better than him. The Butterfly Effect is something that we have definitely taken inspiration from.

 

Often in film openings, straight cuts are used to edit the shots together. This is a good technique to use, as it allows the action to flow seamlessly, and portrays the fast pace of the action on the screen. Together with the cross fade, this is a technique we used in our production. Above, you can see the cross fade in use during our film. Also, the shots are edited together very quickly, which is something we also tried to use. This technique works well, because it allows the audience to feel as though they are part of the action, and raises the adrenaline levels of the audience. Also, the trains are known for running along the train tracks, so people associate these with the train.

 

Sound is also something that features heavily in the opening of thriller movies. Non-diegetic sound is almost always the overriding sound element. Films often use violin/string music, as this works well with making the audience feel nervous, and as though they are part of the action. This sort of music was used in the opening of The Butterfly Effect, and also during the opening of Se7en.

 

The openings of The Butterfly Effect and Se7en, are ones that have perhaps inspired our production the most. We like the technique of not giving much detail away during the film, and also the sound that was used in these sorts of openings was not dissimilar to our opening.

 

Above: The Butterfly Effect

 

Above: Se7en Opening

 

Many of the conventions of a thriller mentioned above were applied to our production. Firstly, our production used fast cuts in the edit to create the feeling of fast-paced action. This helped to build up the feeling of tension in the audience, and gave the impression that the film was building up to a climax, where someone might be killed. It also adds to the sense of confusion, which is also often present in thriller movies.

We have also used a variety of different shot types in our production. Our shot list shows that our shot choice ranged from extreme close ups, right the way through to the use of a mid-long shot, although in thriller movies, long shots are rarely used, as the proximity offered by other shot types allow the character’s emotion to be relayed to the audience. Furthermore, the sound we used also had string instruments and drums in, again, something that is typical of a thriller movie, and the voice we used for the narration also sounded strong and powerful, which would instil fear in the audience.

Our setting for the film challenged convention, as it was set at a rural train station, instead of in an urban area. The rural setting for our thriller was comparable to ‘No Country for Old Men’ by the Coen brothers, and I feel that this made our thriller unique, and stand out from other films of a similar genre.

 

 Furthermore, our props and costumes used for the production were very conventional for the period. For example, we used a balaclava for the killer, who was mainly dressed in black, which typically symbolises danger and fear in modern day society. Furthermore, our victim was dressed in everyday clothing, a technique that Alfred Hitchcock used in his film ‘Psycho’, shown right. This meant that the audience are able to relate to the victim more, as it makes it easier for them to place themselves into that situation.

I feel that the cut away shots of the trains we used in our production were a classic example of a convention used in thriller movies. The shots were only very brief, and as the diegetic sound was played very high, each time these train shots came on, it shocked the audience. The shots also interrupted the narrative of the plot, which made the sequence seem more interesting to watch. 

 

The setting of our production was very important. The graveyard scene was set in the current time, whilst the train station scene was a flashback – designed to show the thoughts of the mourner as he laid the flowers. Graveyards are a typical setting for a thriller movie, and have been used in many thriller movies, such as The Butterfly Effect.

I feel that this shot on the left, shows a good use of props in our production. Our killer was using a gag to wrap around the victim’s mouth, which made her seem vulnerable and unable to help herself. Furthermore, the victim could be seen checking her watch and looking for the train, as though it was late, which shows the element of surprise the killer gave to the production. Furthermore, the killer was dressed in black – a colour which symbolises danger and death – a theme that is synonymous with thriller openings.

 

 This next shot shows how the victim was struggling, and that the killer had total control over the girl. Also, our choice to use a mid-shot to film this section allows the audience to gather a sense of location, as the railway and the train station can clearly be seen in the background.

 

This shot clearly indicates the genre of the film in the opening section. As the killer begins to remove his balaclava, the audience get a sense that the film could be about the relationship between these two people. The use of narration also indicates this throughout the opening. This shot creates suspense within the audience, as the character removes the balaclava in a very menacing and sincere way. However, it also makes the audience intrigued, as they want to know how they are related, and why the killer was trying to disguise his identity.

 

Throughout the film, as the new actors are introduced, their name appears on a train track, written on by chalk. This creates the effect that the names have actually been scratched into the planks. This technique meant that we could avoid using the text overlay in the editing package we used, as these titles are often quite over-used in thriller openings. By doing it this way, it meant that we were breaking away from normal convention, and using a technique that was relevant to the plot of the thriller opening.

The shot on the left is perhaps my personal favourite in the whole production. The shot was created by placing the camera on the floor, and propping the front end of the camera up with a rock. The composition of the shot means that the killer is standing over the victim, the low angle makes him seem more powerful, and the dominant figure in the shot. The victim is unconscious at this point, and she is tied up with a rope, which makes her seem very vulnerable. Furthermore, the composition of the shot means that the killer and the victim fill nearly the full height of the frame, whilst ensuring that the train station is still visible, to remind the audience of the location.

 

The two shots on the left also show good use of continuity editing within our production. In total, the two shots were only shown for three seconds, which shows that we used fast cuts when editing this sequence. This is to give the impression that our victim was actually knocked unconscious by the rock, although in actual fact, the rock never touched Annabelle’s face. This is good evidence of our group using the filming-to-edit technique, which has been seen in many thriller movies before. The bottom shot also uses the golden mean, as the victim’s face, the rock and our killer’s face all fall on the same diagonal line across the frame.

 

The title of our movie was also something that is quite conventional for the thriller genre. Usually, the name of the main protagonist is used in the title of the film, something that was done in the films The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Legacy, as all films star Jason Bourne as one of the main roles. From watching our thriller opening, the audience would probably correctly presume that the victim is Kate, who is killed. However, because the film is called ‘Kate’s Revenge’, the audience would be intrigued to find out how the film develops, and how she manages to get revenge on her cousin. The way our title is presented in the film is also quite conventional for the thriller genre. The title continues with the theme that runs throughout the opening, with it being written onto the planks. However, because it is written in chalk, it almost looks as though it has been written as a child, and as the film develops to go back to the children’s childhood, this is an appropriate way to present the title.

Furthermore, the way of presenting the title in the centre of the screen with no other action around it is something that has been done before in films. The film ‘The Butterfly Effect’ used a very similar technique, with the title in the centre of the frame, and an appropriate background, a brain in this case, behind this. This shows that our film followed many of the conventions of a typical opening.